Grammarist is a professional online English grammar dictionary, that provides a variety of grammatical tools, rules and tips in order to improve your grammar and to help you distinguish between commonly misspelled words.

Hot spot or hotspot

Hotspot and hotspot are compound words. We will examine the definition of these terms, when to use hot spot or hotspot, and some examples of that use in sentences.

A hot spot is a popular place teeming with activity, a dangerous place where civil unrest or a military incursion is likely or a volcanic area. It is sometimes used to mean an area where one may connect to the wireless internet. There are three different types of compound words in the English language: closed compound words, hyphenated compound words and open compound words. In most cases, compound words begin as open compound words, which consist of two words used together, maintaining a space between the two words. As an expression becomes more and more popular, a compound word may acquire a hyphen and finally, become one word with no space between the two original words.

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The term hotspot may carry the definitions of hotspot, meaning a popular place teeming with activity, a dangerous place where civil unrest or a military incursion is likely or a volcanic area. Most often, hotspot refers to an area where one may connect to the wireless internet. Hot spot is a compound word in transition. Some style guides make a distinction between hot spot and hotspot, using the spelling hot spot to mean a popular, dangerous or volcanic place, and reserving the spelling hotspot to mean an internet connection. Some dictionaries list the spelling hot spot for all meanings. The Oxford English Dictionary lists hotspot as the correct spelling for all meanings. The best strategy is to be consistent in your use of the words hot spot and hotspot.

Examples

You can now claim the worst traffic “hot spot” in the country — a stretch of Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia that averages a whopping 23 traffic jams a day, according to a new study released Wednesday. (The Washington Post)

Preparations at Plantae include creating “event teams” tasked with making preparations, installing language apps on mobile phones to help the counter staff communicate with foreign travelers and making sure an internet hot spot is available in case broadband availability is hamstrung on the day, she said. (The Bend Bulletin)

With the proper converter, the i3 can become an internet hotspot for up to 150 smart devices. (The Salem News)

On Sunday, addressing the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum, Xi said people want peace, not conflict and it was imperative to solve the international hotspot issues. (The Economic Times)